Management Consulting - Worst Interview Mistakes

June 8, 2009 | Filed Under Money

by Kevin Gao

The worst thing you can do is give bland, generic answers to the interview questions.

When you don’t provide personalized stories and anecdotes, you are simply not making the extra effort to stand out with distinctly different responses.

If you don’t include a few anecdotes, you will give a lousy interview. Here is an example of an answer without an anecdote.

What is it about management consulting that interests you the most?

I like the intellectual challenge of the job. I also like to be able to work with ambitious, clever people solving difficult business problems.

Well, that’s dull. There is certainly nothing special in that response. What’s the story behind your desire to be a management consultant?

Click here to learn more about consultant fit and behavioral mistakes.

Do you understand the problem with this answer?

When you tell a story, you stand out. If you just give a generic response, your answer will be just like all the rest. Then you won’t get an offer, and neither will anyone else.

At the end of the day, the consultants usually have a meeting to discuss all the applicants. If you said something that really stuck with your interviewer, you are likely to be discussed favorably. If you just gave a dull, unimaginative answer, your interviewer probably won’t even think to mention you.

So how do you add a takeaway or an anecdote?

A takeaway is a conclusion. It is a lesson learned or a 20/20 hindsight. Call it what you may.

In the example answer, there was no anecdote. Nothing was experienced, and nothing was learned.

Here is an example of how to add a takeaway to that answer. By adding personal experience, that answer becomes much stronger, leaves a conclusion, and more important, leaves an impression.

What interests you about management consulting?

I love to work with smart, ambitious people facing intellectual challenges and solving difficult business problems. When I did my internship in asset management, I really enjoyed my smart, hard-working colleagues, but I did not feel challenged, myself. I think consulting will challenge me and give me the opportunity to work with people who will inspire me to do my best. I want to move up in the business world. I have come to realize that the best way to do that is to become a top member of a smart team and seek out the toughest challenges.

Click here to learn more about how to conquer management consulting interviews!

About the Author:

Management Consulted is a one-stop shop for prospective consultants. Written by a former McKinsey consultant, it covers consulting resumes and CVs. Read the guide to management consultants today!

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